State Archives Closer To University System

The State Archives is in the process of moving from the Secretary of State’s control to the University System of Georgia.

A 9 member panel of academics, historians and librarians are coming up with recommendations for the Chancellor on how to transition control of the State Archives.

Clayton State University President Tim Hynes heads that panel. He says it is unlikely the Archives will move from its present location in Morrow.

“To the best of my knowledge, that is not in the offing. It certainly is not part of the transition committee’s set of recommendations to the Chancellor. The state is invested in some physical resources that do an excellent job of preserving records in important ways for Georgia’s future. And we expect that will continue to be the case.”he says.

Hynes says he doesn’t expect the Archives mission to change and says it will have more resources under the University system.
”Existing programs in archival studies. There are a series of archives on campuses for those institutions that have available potentially, if not human resources, certainly intellectual capital that could contribute to the providing of services in the Archives.” he says.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp had cut the staff and the hours at the Archives due to budget constraints. That led to a public outcry. Governor Deal then proposed transferring the Archives to the University System. The General Assembly approved legislation authorizing the change. Governor Deal is expected to sign the legislation into law

The measure calls for the University System to take over the Archives July first.